Diagnosis of Menopause
Diagnosis of menopause
Generally, no laboratory tests are required for the diagnosis of natural menopause.
Doctors and other healthcare providers will typically make a diagnosis based on the patient’s age and symptoms.
Diagnosis of perimenopause
As explained, women’s hormone levels swing or fluctuate significantly and unpredictably during perimenopause. Hormone levels may look different from one day to the next. This makes testing for hormone levels very difficult during perimenopause.
In other country settings, staging (that is, confirming whether a woman is in early or late perimenopause) is done using a woman’s menstrual history.
However, for women who have irregular menstrual cycles or amenorrhea (which is the absence of menstrual cycles which can be attributed or linked to many causes) – tracking perimenopause in this way is not possible.
My Menopause SA
Evidence-based menopause information for South African women.
Page last reviewed: 1 March 2026
Next review due: 1 March 2027